New Report: Building an Inclusive Future for the City of Minneapolis
Following the 2020 police murder of George Floyd, the City of Minneapolis emerged as the focal point of a national reckoning on racism. Calls for justice and racial equity reverberated in the streets and within City Hall. Moreover, the negative experiences of Black staff working for the City of Minneapolis underscored the urgent need for proactive measures to address and enhance anti-racist workplace culture, particularly for staff in racial equity roles.
In 2023, the City of Minneapolis Office of Public Services (OPS) sought assistance from outside experts to design and execute an organizational assessment of interactions between internal departments and the Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (REIB) Department. The City’s stated goal is to foster an environment that makes it possible for REIB’s leadership to facilitate and provide support for racial equity work across all City departments.
Research in Action (RIA) partnered with REIB to identify areas hindering progress, and make recommendations to improve their processes and interdepartmental workplace culture to advance racial equity work across the City.
“We can not change what we do not face,” said Dr. Brittany Lewis, founder and CEO of Research in Action. “New REIB leadership courageously leaned into the work, not shying away from the department’s and the City’s past, but rather embracing the teachings from the hard truths we found there. They asked for honest feedback from other City leaders as they invited them to recommit to a partnership with the department. This is how you rebuild your foundation and create a different path for the future.”
Here’s what we did together — and our recommendations for action.
Creating a narrative timeline informed by key leaders
Though many communities acknowledged the police murder of George Floyd in 2020 as a “wakeup call” to begin racial equity work, the Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Department is the most recent of many attempts by the City of Minneapolis to contend with racial inequities. In our research, we traced key moments in the City's official attempts to acknowledge and repair racial harm over the past two decades, from the establishment of the Civil Rights Department, its involvement with the Government Alliance on Race & Equity (GARE), to the present-day REIB.
Drawing on official city documents, news media reports, and interviews with three former and one current City leaders (pictured below), the timeline highlights points where racial equity leaders experienced a mix of successes, resistance, and scrutiny over their actions.
“We had no budget. There was no appetite to add to my team. We had no funding to create and maintain any long-term programs, and I was only able to get money to bring people together and to talk about things… Nothing about policy development or practicing change.”
This timeline and its tension points did not result from the bad acts of a few people. Indeed, it spans the tenure of multiple mayors, city coordinators, racial equity and human rights directors, as well as the careers of various City Council members. Yet and still, it is troubling that little progress has emerged, and much harm has been done. The purpose of the historical overview is to provide a tool for current staff to reflect on what came before and see ways to communicate and collaborate effectively in the future.
Developing & analyzing a survey to current City staff leaders
In partnership with the current REIB team, RIA co-developed a survey for current City staff leaders to assess their past experiences with and their future desires for working with the REIB department. The survey also gauged the resonance of and familiarity with key definitions and values that guide the REIB department’s work.
Data from the “Working with REIB” section of the survey
Overall, 34 leaders within the City responded thoughtfully and deeply to the survey, providing candid and insightful data.
“I am just skeptical. These harms continue today and even through engaging in this process. I am not hopeful it changes anything. The ones higher to the top need the most accountability but those who are appointed from the very top have to fall in line so nothing changes. ”
Putting forward recommendations for the REIB Department
Based on a summary of findings from the City leaders’ survey and insights gathered from the historical timeline, we developed recommendations to assist the REIB department in achieving its goals and continuing to lead the City in advancing racial justice. They included:
Develop and introduce training that fits the needs of departments across the City, particularly around core values, definitions, and terminology and how they apply to implementing changes that foster racial equity.
Reintroduce the REIB department within the City with updated informational materials, in-person presentations, and gatherings. The reintroduction should include examples and case studies that illustrate how REIB can support departments’ racial equity goals.
Solidify the REIB Department’s role as an internal consultant for City departments to develop departmental racial equity policies, metrics, and strategic planning. REIB should partner with the City Council and the Mayor’s Office to address barriers, misconceptions, or past harms that prevent department leaders from productive engagement with REIB.
Foster a positive work culture within the City. REIB should evaluate and amend existing racial equity, inclusion, and belonging policy to identify whether they include adequate accountability structures, clear expectations and workable strategies to implement change.
“I think REIB will be a central partner in the future. I do believe REIB needs time and space to get its proverbial feet underneath them before it can be fully functional in this task.”
Increase staff buy-in for REIB by creating an engagement strategy and identifying staff to serve as points of contact for the REIB department.
Nurture REIB Department’s relationship with City Leadership by collaborating with City leaders on shared agreements for dealing with conflict and streamlining communication and documentation practices to avoid misunderstandings and misalignment between REIB and City initiatives.
Encourage other departments to adopt and adhere to REIB’s values when they design or implement racial equity projects or programs. REIB should create a cohort program that provides support space for Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Latine staff led by REIB to provide mentorship and support to navigate difficult conversations and situations with their mostly white peers.
Continue supporting Racial Healing and Reconciliation by collaborating with the community and Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Latine people within the City of Minneapolis staff to initiate healing and repair efforts to move forward, and outlining a concrete plan to revisit the Truth and Reconciliation work and take action to realize its vision of healing and transformation.
Looking ahead
This is the first attempt to outline this complex and nuanced history, and it should not be the last, as many voices are missing from this story. However, this report does provide a place for everyone in the City of Minneapolis to start to reflect on, analyze, and determine how they might support the work of the REIB department and invest in its leadership.
Read the Executive Summary (6 pages) or the full report (46 pages) here.